The Mets ace complained of soreness following his scoreless three-inning rehab start Thursday.

Sandy Alderson said he could not comment on the severity of the discomfort.

“I think it’s prudent to have it checked out,” he said.

Santana’s next scheduled rehab outing has been canceled and he’ll instead fly to New York where he will be examined by doctors later this week.

Original Post 7/29: Concern for Santana After Wang’s Performance?

Last night the Mets continued their impressive win streak, running it to five games and doing it all on the road while being sans Carlos Beltran. However with the joy and excitement this team has brought over the past few days, concern arose for me from the pitcher they faced last night in Chien-Ming Wang.

Just a few years ago, Wang was considered to be one of the better right-handers in baseball. He posted back to back 19 win seasons just to see it all come crashing down in a whirlwind of injuries. His latest injury, a torn shoulder capsule, was the most severe and caused him to miss almost two seasons. Perhaps he should have stayed away as he was shelled by the Mets for six runs over four innings in his return game.

Now how does this scare me when it comes to Santana? Like Wang, Santana is recovering from a capsule injury. Also, like Wang, Santana was considered one of the better pitchers in baseball before his injury. Also, as Mets fans, we always expect the worst to happen.

The real question may be if Santana does follow suit, how can the Mets recover. He is the staff ace and has the ability to make the other Mets starters better (see Mike Pelfrey during the first half of last year), something that I think has been vastly overlooked. I honestly think its something the Mets can’t afford to have happen. Maybe that’s why a part of me wishes Santana would wait until next year to come back, something that is unlikely to happen especially if the Mets keep playing the way they are.

Yet there is something that Santana has that I think Wang doesn’t. Santana has always been a pitcher who didn’t have to always rely on skill to win. He has guts and determination to get him through a rough patch, something he is going to need now if he doesn’t want to end up like Wang, a shell of a former ace.

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